The Ghost's Imprisonment
by ForlornFreund
Summary: Fantasma is in the Boundary, unsure of what to do. A vampire girl discovers him and mysteriously helps him out. One-Shot. Prequel to Approaching Shadow.


**A/N: Played a bit of BB a few days ago and finally finished Makoto's story and I loved her true ending. I just wanted to make a similar story, but with my OC, Fantasma. This is after the Imperator stops the time loops. As of now, Approaching Shadow and Knight of Green Flame are still being worked on so don't worry. Enjoy the story.**

"Where am I? An abyss?"

The young man stood alone in a deep expanse of darkness. He never knew how he got here or where this is. He heard footsteps in the distance and he attempted to brandish Alma, but to no avail. Instead, he clenched his fists. Fantasma didn't fear the darkness, but he had to keep his guard up in case he was in some sort of shadow ars.

"Who's there?"

A young girl in a gothic lolita emerged from the darkness, with a large black cat and a chubby red bat alongside her. Those red eyes leered at Fantasma's emerald stare. Fantasma has never met this girl before and wonders how she traversed through darkness.

"Your name truly matches the way you interact in a crowd," she haughtily commented. Fantasma was annoyed with this girl's antics.

"Aside from your rude introduction, do you mind if you tell me where am I?"

She closed her eyes.

"Do you remember your mission from your father, child?"

Fantasma raised a brow.

"How the hell do you know my father?" he asked the mysterious girl.

"I'm an acquaintance of his, I am Rachel Alucard and I know your name is Fantasma del Sombra,"

"Alucard? Are you a vampire or something?"

She nodded.

"Save the questions for later, cryptozoologist, but can you tell me what your father told you to do?"

Fantasma scratched his head. He remembered something about observing Ragna the Bloodedge's tracks.

"Something about following the Grim Reaper, Ragna the Bloodedge."

"Well, you failed the mission. You fought with Terumi, lost, and tossed into the Boundary."

"The Boundary? Terumi?"

"It's a place where multiple timelines intersect. As for Terumi, he's a greedy weasel that seeks to kill two people, even if it takes the world population."

_Flashback_

_Ronin-Gai_

_Time Unknown_

_Fantasma walked through a Japanese styled section of Kagutsuchi. He remembered that he got in here through a Shebalve that his mother stole through a small raid in the skies of Ibukido. He landed somewhere near it via parachute. He halted all of a sudden when a girl caught his view._

_"Makoto?!" Fantasma shouted as she saw a squirrel girl in a black cloak with a black beret. She raised her brow. Fantasma didn't remember _

_"Who the hell are you? You look like you're from the Intelligence Department." Fantasma was confused. For some reason she treated him like she's never met before. Fantasma awkwardly laughed._

_"You're kidding right? Remember me? Fantasma del Sombra? The one who saved you from the bullies? The back up person to help you with homework? The one who also promised to never forget each other after we graduated?"_

_"I remembered a Fantasma, but he never did ant of that to me. I just heard him through attendance and he never really interacted with me."_

_Fantasma backed away. He was confused and scared. What the hell happened? He remembered during graduation, Fantasma and Makoto promised to never forget each other before graduation._

_"What kind of world am I in?!"_

_As much as the squirrel wanted to crack a joke, she felt worried of this man's insanity._

_"Dude, you're pretty creepy you know that? Just stay away from me or I'm going to have to beat you to your senses!" she took off her cloak and revealed fighter attire. She equipped two tonfas and braced herself for combat._

_NOL Branch in Kagutsuchi Rooftop_

_Fantasma laid on the floor. His clothes were scarred and ripped from a menacing opponent. A green chain entangled his arm and was slowly pulled toward a man with green spiky hair and in a black suit. He attacked this man out of blind fury and confusion. Fantasma just didn't seem to like him and attacked that man head on. He lost easily due to his stress, recklessness, and power difference._

_"Aw man, you're just forever alone are you? Did someone get rejected?"_

_"Shut the hell up you prick! GUAAHH!" A curved knife impaled his chest._

_"You really have no purpose here, your just unneeded trash from another place."_

_"Freaking shut up!"_

_A black portal formed behind the green haired man. He put up a sadistic grin as he wrapped his green chain around Fantasma's neck and flung him into the black portal._

_"Oh geez, why did I even give you life again? Biggest mistake I've ever made."_

"I remember how I got here," Fantasma said as his eyes widened in realization. He summarized the events to the vampire girl and she nodded to confirm that the events that lead him here were in fact true.

"Fantasma, this is the 776th time you were thrown into the Boundary by Terumi."

"So I'm guessing I got my ass kicked by this Terumi prick 776 times?! How come I don't remember this? How come I'm still alive?"

"You've lost count and your memories slowly eroded when you got tossed into the Boundary. When time looped, you returned back to the beginning of when you started the mission and some of your memories were erased. The time loop has ended, and now you're stuck here. You remain alive due to something that makes you want to stay in your world."

"What is that?"

"It's a question of who."

"Do you truly want to get out, Fantasma? Do you really want to return?"

Fantasma glared at the vampire. A phantom of Jin Kisaragi appeared in front of Fantasma. He had haunting black scleras with blue irises. Fantasma tried to throw a fist at him, but he instantly whacked it aside with Yukianesa's sheath and threw a quick karate chop on Fantasma's head. With quick dexterity, Jin performed a quick draw sword technique on Fantasma that cut through his shirt and skin. Fantasma backed off, covering his wound with one hand. He tried to fight back with his chains, only to realize his powers were inert. Jin lunged at him, riding an icicle that instantly disappeared when it impaled Fantasma and he leapt off of the icicle and and swung Yukianesa downward, throwing Fantasma to the ground. The downed Fantasma attempted to get up, only to be impaled by Yukianesa. Fantasma's body slowly froze and he felt the edge of Yukianesa slowly cut through his chest as Jin sadistically moved his blade.

"During my time at that timeline, I realized what my fate would be: Complete emptiness. I was all alone, empty, and useless. I felt like no one would ever remember me. I just want to be acknowledged as a normal person instead of a ghost. But there was this one person who made me feel alive, feel belonged, feel...beloved."

Rachel smiled.

"I am the Agent of my own Justice. Hiding in the shadows, only to save and bring peace, justice, and order my own way. I am the Black Assailant, I am the Ghost of Shadows who will balance chaos and order. I may protect others, but I will protect the one I most care about; the reason I continue to live."

Fantasma saw an image of one of the possibilities in the Continuum Shift. He had his energy blade activated and behind him was an injured Makoto Nanaya. He was fighting Jin Kisaragi, the cold and ruthless warrior with the ice katana, Yukianesa. He remembered that she also never met him in that timeline, but he didn't seem to care. All he just wanted to do was protect her.

His sword appeared in his clenched fist. Confidence regained, he felt his dark powers return to him. But something was different about this power. It felt like a massive boom of power, like opening a fresh bottle of cola that was shaken. His wounds were healed by a purple aura and Yukianesa's ice blade shattered, but recovered, away from Fantasma's chest. Fantasma emitted a shock wave that pushed away Jin, allowing him some time to stand up.

The phantom Jin shot an ice sword at Fantasma, only to be shattered by a bony chain. Fantasma teleported in front of Jin and threw a rising uppercut, then a double kick upward. Fantasma jumped once more and performed a rising somersault kick, reminiscent to a pinwheel. Fantasma finished his air combo by spiking Jin downward with a bear claw trailing with it. The Jin Phantom dropped to the ground and got up quickly.

"Freeze Eternally!"

As Fantasma landed on the ground, a cage of ice engulfed Fantasma. He couldn't move as the ice started to enlarge. He felt extremely cold and at this temperature, he could die at any moment.

"What's wrong you scum, have you any reason to fight?!"

An image of Makoto's smiling face flashed in his head. There were more images that swept through his head. Various fun times in the academy, times when he met her during the Continuum Shift, the times he protected her during the mentioned event. He realized that the person who made him feel belonged and beloved was this squirrel girl, Makoto Nanaya. But a scene played out in his head; a scene that he had forgotten. He was an eight year old child in Shinatsu and he was playing in a playground. At this time, class was dismissed and he sat down on a swing with a squirrel girl in an orange t-shirt and black shorts.

_"Hey ghosty guy?"_

_"Yes?"_

_"We've been very good friends for a while, but I'm going to be moving to another school,"_

_"Aw, please don't leave me! I don't want to be lonely again. Who will be my partner for gym?"_

_"Fantasma..."_

_Fantasma was crying from her announcement of going to another school. Makoto got off the swing. She went in front of Fantasma and put a hand on his shoulder._

_"Hey don't be such a crybaby." she was trying to hold back her tears and the boy realized this. Fantasma got off the swing and embraced the squirrel girl too._

_"Aww, I'll miss you and I really don't wanna go, but my parents are moving somewhere else."_

_Fantasma wiped his eyes and he let go of his embrace. He put both hands on her shoulder._

_"Hey Makoto, let's promise to never forget each other okay?"_

_"Okay Fanny!" she had a goofy smile. Fantasma hated being called that by his peers, but Makoto was an exception._

_They both pretended to stitch their chest, crossing their hearts._

_"Hey Fanny, don't give up. Don't give up on life, like how you didn't give up being my friend," she smiled confidently as everything flashed white._

He didn't want to die like this. With a shout of undying will, the ice shattered and a dark purple mist surrounded Fantasma. The Jin phantom summoned a large wave of ice energy that flew in the mist to make sure Fantasma was dead. Fantasma sliced through it with a zweihander that had a blade with the similar color of Alma. He was riding on a skeletal horse with other undead skeleton knights behind him, equipped with black swords, lances, axes, and other medieval weapons. The Jin phantom couldn't move as he realized that a bony chain was binding his limbs. The army of the undead galloped through the Hero of Ikaruga while swinging their weapons at him. Fantasma was the last one to attack as he launched his opponent into the black expanse. Before he started dropping, the Black Assailant appeared above him and impaled the phantom with his sword. Both fell to the ground and a large burst of black and purple seithr erupted from the ground, finishing the phantom of Jin Kisaragi. Fantasma stood up from the remnants of the explosion and formed a bony throne to sit on. He sat down on his seat and panted heavily from his ensuing fight. The vampire girl appeared out of the darkness again, clapping slowly from his performance.

"What a fine match, peasant." she had a smile on her face.

"Did you summon that illusion of Jin Kisaragi?"

She silently nodded. Rachel didn't want to explain why. Fantasma didn't really want to know anyway.

"Hey Rachel, why are you helping me?"

Before he could get an answer, a white light engulfed his vision.

Sector Seven Lab in Yabiko

Unknown Time

Fantasma's body was lying down on a medical bed. Tager found him near a cauldron in the NOL Branch, in a coma. Sensing a strange power from him, he called Kokonoe to send an extraction team to pick up the suspicious body. It had been two weeks ever since he was in a coma.

"He doesn't look hurt,"

His body was clear of scratches. Kokonoe knew for a fact that his mind might have been affected, or possibly his soul.

"Yeah, but his mind is recovering functionality according to the charts," she calmly said.

"Will he be alright?"

"..."

A screen appeared in front of Kokonoe's view. A young black haired teenage girl was on the screen. She had shoulder length hair with curled locks by her ears. Only showing her face, she was seen wearing some sort of trench coat with a white turtleneck sweater.

"Hey Koko Puffs," she gleefully said. Kokonoe grumbled in annoyance.

"Hey Fiume, we just found your brother,"

"Nii-San?! Where is he?! I want to speak to him?!" she said frantically. Kokonoe was slightly creeped out from her sudden frantic behavior.

"Fiume, he's in a coma, but his brain is fully functional in a few days. Tell your father that he'll be available after a few days."

"Aye!" the screen vanished.

Fantasma would awake in the next three days, only to have some of his memories cleared. His memories of the times in the alternate timelines would be erased. This includes the times where he encountered a confused Makoto or even protect her. All of those memories would just disappear from the effects of the Cauldron. The only thing he'll never want to forget ever again is that spunky and friendly squirrel girl.


End file.
